Matthew Leisten
@leistenecon.bsky.social
Economist at FTC. IO, antitrust, pricing. Theory to empirics and back. Foodie. All views my own.
Pinned
Matthew Leisten
@leistenecon.bsky.social
· Nov 14
🚨 #EconSky New paper! There's been much advocacy for “open” or “open-weights” AI models. But what are the equilibrium predictions relative to closed AI or a social planner? The econ of AI is new and distinct from other software, so we need new models. That’s where I come in!
#EconSky 🚨NEW PAPER with Ben Casner:
We present a theory of why privacy regulation can be distributionally bad when platforms offer freemium models
We present a theory of why privacy regulation can be distributionally bad when platforms offer freemium models
April 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
#EconSky 🚨NEW PAPER with Ben Casner:
We present a theory of why privacy regulation can be distributionally bad when platforms offer freemium models
We present a theory of why privacy regulation can be distributionally bad when platforms offer freemium models
CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER
April 4, 2025 at 6:16 PM
CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER
What people think I'm doing when I say I'm "working on my egg paper" vs what I'm actually doing
February 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
What people think I'm doing when I say I'm "working on my egg paper" vs what I'm actually doing
"We thank the anonymous referees for their constructive feedback. In addressing their comments, we feel we have significantly improved the soup"
This defeats the entire purpose of soup, which is that it’s wet www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/...
Progresso launches Soup Drops, a hard candy that's 'soup you can suck on'
Soup Drops are packed with chicken noodle soup flavors and are available for a limited time during National Soup Month.
www.nbcnews.com
January 18, 2025 at 5:31 PM
"We thank the anonymous referees for their constructive feedback. In addressing their comments, we feel we have significantly improved the soup"
#EconSky Note: my online seminar on "Open(?) AI" has been **rescheduled** to Jan 27 because of the holiday. Thread describing the paper below!
bsky.app/profile/leis...
bsky.app/profile/leis...
🚨 #EconSky New paper! There's been much advocacy for “open” or “open-weights” AI models. But what are the equilibrium predictions relative to closed AI or a social planner? The econ of AI is new and distinct from other software, so we need new models. That’s where I come in!
January 18, 2025 at 5:15 PM
#EconSky Note: my online seminar on "Open(?) AI" has been **rescheduled** to Jan 27 because of the holiday. Thread describing the paper below!
bsky.app/profile/leis...
bsky.app/profile/leis...
Reposted by Matthew Leisten
📉📈 I'm giving a (virtual) talk on "Open(?) AI" hosted by BU Questrom next month! Details/registration at the link, description of the paper below!
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
December 4, 2024 at 3:07 PM
📉📈 I'm giving a (virtual) talk on "Open(?) AI" hosted by BU Questrom next month! Details/registration at the link, description of the paper below!
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
#EconSky I'll be at ASSAs next week! Feel free to hit me up if you want to drink coffee and chat research, and be sure to check out this exciting, inter-field session I organized:
December 27, 2024 at 3:11 PM
#EconSky I'll be at ASSAs next week! Feel free to hit me up if you want to drink coffee and chat research, and be sure to check out this exciting, inter-field session I organized:
Reposted by Matthew Leisten
📉📈 I'm giving a (virtual) talk on "Open(?) AI" hosted by BU Questrom next month! Details/registration at the link, description of the paper below!
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
December 4, 2024 at 3:07 PM
📉📈 I'm giving a (virtual) talk on "Open(?) AI" hosted by BU Questrom next month! Details/registration at the link, description of the paper below!
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
www.bu.edu/dbi/events/o...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Matthew Leisten
Don't forget to register for the #ASSA2025 Annual Meeting in San Francisco! Early bird registration ends tomorrow, Dec. 3. Register now! #econsky aeaweb.org/conference/
ASSA 2025 Annual Meeting
aeaweb.org
December 2, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Don't forget to register for the #ASSA2025 Annual Meeting in San Francisco! Early bird registration ends tomorrow, Dec. 3. Register now! #econsky aeaweb.org/conference/
#econsky What is, in your opinion, the biggest question IO has credibly settled?
Seems most of our contributions are either (a) fancy methods; (b) negative results (e.g. don't regress price on HHI); (c) narrow in scope (yogurts, etc); or (d) contested (have markups actually risen?)
Seems most of our contributions are either (a) fancy methods; (b) negative results (e.g. don't regress price on HHI); (c) narrow in scope (yogurts, etc); or (d) contested (have markups actually risen?)
December 1, 2024 at 8:18 PM
#econsky What is, in your opinion, the biggest question IO has credibly settled?
Seems most of our contributions are either (a) fancy methods; (b) negative results (e.g. don't regress price on HHI); (c) narrow in scope (yogurts, etc); or (d) contested (have markups actually risen?)
Seems most of our contributions are either (a) fancy methods; (b) negative results (e.g. don't regress price on HHI); (c) narrow in scope (yogurts, etc); or (d) contested (have markups actually risen?)
Just finished SouthernEconJ meetings. There were, by my count, ten IO papers presented written or co-written by FTC economists 💪
A few of them 👇
A few of them 👇
November 26, 2024 at 1:43 AM
Just finished SouthernEconJ meetings. There were, by my count, ten IO papers presented written or co-written by FTC economists 💪
A few of them 👇
A few of them 👇
8 mostly obvious tips to do research outside of academia (specifically, in gov't):
November 16, 2024 at 1:25 AM
8 mostly obvious tips to do research outside of academia (specifically, in gov't):
🚨 #EconSky New paper! There's been much advocacy for “open” or “open-weights” AI models. But what are the equilibrium predictions relative to closed AI or a social planner? The econ of AI is new and distinct from other software, so we need new models. That’s where I come in!
November 14, 2024 at 3:50 PM
🚨 #EconSky New paper! There's been much advocacy for “open” or “open-weights” AI models. But what are the equilibrium predictions relative to closed AI or a social planner? The econ of AI is new and distinct from other software, so we need new models. That’s where I come in!
Because I'm still a Bluesky novice, tagging #EconSky for this summary of my year in papers!
Apropos of nothing, ten papers I've seen this year that I still think about:
1. Improving the matching mechanism for heart transplants didn't reduce mortality too much, because doctors responded by getting choosier.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Xk8U...
1. Improving the matching mechanism for heart transplants didn't reduce mortality too much, because doctors responded by getting choosier.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Xk8U...
kurt_sweat_endogenous_priority_in_centralized_matching_markets.pdf
drive.google.com
November 13, 2024 at 11:07 PM
Because I'm still a Bluesky novice, tagging #EconSky for this summary of my year in papers!
Apropos of nothing, ten papers I've seen this year that I still think about:
1. Improving the matching mechanism for heart transplants didn't reduce mortality too much, because doctors responded by getting choosier.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Xk8U...
1. Improving the matching mechanism for heart transplants didn't reduce mortality too much, because doctors responded by getting choosier.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Xk8U...
kurt_sweat_endogenous_priority_in_centralized_matching_markets.pdf
drive.google.com
November 13, 2024 at 10:40 PM
Apropos of nothing, ten papers I've seen this year that I still think about:
1. Improving the matching mechanism for heart transplants didn't reduce mortality too much, because doctors responded by getting choosier.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Xk8U...
1. Improving the matching mechanism for heart transplants didn't reduce mortality too much, because doctors responded by getting choosier.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Xk8U...
#EconSky newly updated paper! [Link at end of thread] The premise of this one is simple: what if IO tried to take inequality more seriously?
Let's thread the needle by having different price coefficients reflect "shadow value of a dollar" to rich & poor but stopping short of true income effects.
Let's thread the needle by having different price coefficients reflect "shadow value of a dollar" to rich & poor but stopping short of true income effects.
November 12, 2024 at 1:17 AM
#EconSky newly updated paper! [Link at end of thread] The premise of this one is simple: what if IO tried to take inequality more seriously?
Let's thread the needle by having different price coefficients reflect "shadow value of a dollar" to rich & poor but stopping short of true income effects.
Let's thread the needle by having different price coefficients reflect "shadow value of a dollar" to rich & poor but stopping short of true income effects.
Still figuring out this platform and forgot to tag #EconSky for this thread 👇
A thread about my [former] JMP and why research is frustrating. This paper hasn't found a home [yet] but I stand by its main methodological contribution. And I'm constantly on the cusp of making the paper better.
October 19, 2024 at 4:45 PM
Still figuring out this platform and forgot to tag #EconSky for this thread 👇
A thread about my [former] JMP and why research is frustrating. This paper hasn't found a home [yet] but I stand by its main methodological contribution. And I'm constantly on the cusp of making the paper better.
October 19, 2024 at 3:30 PM
A thread about my [former] JMP and why research is frustrating. This paper hasn't found a home [yet] but I stand by its main methodological contribution. And I'm constantly on the cusp of making the paper better.
🚨Just updated! 📈📉
Algorithmic pricing = automated pricing. This can soften competition, in large part because automation X commitment. But what if managers can override the algorithm, so commitment is diminished?
Algos can still "collude"!
Algorithmic pricing = automated pricing. This can soften competition, in large part because automation X commitment. But what if managers can override the algorithm, so commitment is diminished?
Algos can still "collude"!
October 10, 2024 at 4:12 PM
🚨Just updated! 📈📉
Algorithmic pricing = automated pricing. This can soften competition, in large part because automation X commitment. But what if managers can override the algorithm, so commitment is diminished?
Algos can still "collude"!
Algorithmic pricing = automated pricing. This can soften competition, in large part because automation X commitment. But what if managers can override the algorithm, so commitment is diminished?
Algos can still "collude"!
New revision!📈📉
In the previous version (link to thread), we showed linked regulation (increasing scrutiny of past offenders AND of plants co-owned w/ past offenders) was good.
Now, we provide more insight *why*. Essentially, there are 2 effects.
https://x.com/LeistenEcon/status/1638246436587315
In the previous version (link to thread), we showed linked regulation (increasing scrutiny of past offenders AND of plants co-owned w/ past offenders) was good.
Now, we provide more insight *why*. Essentially, there are 2 effects.
https://x.com/LeistenEcon/status/1638246436587315
October 1, 2024 at 2:56 PM
New revision!📈📉
In the previous version (link to thread), we showed linked regulation (increasing scrutiny of past offenders AND of plants co-owned w/ past offenders) was good.
Now, we provide more insight *why*. Essentially, there are 2 effects.
https://x.com/LeistenEcon/status/1638246436587315
In the previous version (link to thread), we showed linked regulation (increasing scrutiny of past offenders AND of plants co-owned w/ past offenders) was good.
Now, we provide more insight *why*. Essentially, there are 2 effects.
https://x.com/LeistenEcon/status/1638246436587315
The good news is negative weights are fine so you all can do TWFE again
One example of a negative probability, which Taleb mentions here, is the probability of learning anything from this word salad
September 21, 2024 at 10:57 PM
The good news is negative weights are fine so you all can do TWFE again
Hello #EconSky! Giving this platform a try.
Expect updates about the topics I care about most:
1️⃣ Incorporating redistributive concerns into how we do IO
2️⃣ Competition in the algorithmic age: pricing algos, open weights AI, etc.
3️⃣ Regulation under incomplete info
...more to come!
Expect updates about the topics I care about most:
1️⃣ Incorporating redistributive concerns into how we do IO
2️⃣ Competition in the algorithmic age: pricing algos, open weights AI, etc.
3️⃣ Regulation under incomplete info
...more to come!
September 13, 2024 at 9:54 PM
Hello #EconSky! Giving this platform a try.
Expect updates about the topics I care about most:
1️⃣ Incorporating redistributive concerns into how we do IO
2️⃣ Competition in the algorithmic age: pricing algos, open weights AI, etc.
3️⃣ Regulation under incomplete info
...more to come!
Expect updates about the topics I care about most:
1️⃣ Incorporating redistributive concerns into how we do IO
2️⃣ Competition in the algorithmic age: pricing algos, open weights AI, etc.
3️⃣ Regulation under incomplete info
...more to come!